Alarm systems which dispense a fluid in order to deter and/or identify an attacker or intruder are known in the art. One type of such a system is a personal handheld alarm which can be activated by a user in order to spray an attacker with a fluid such a chemical irritant and/or an identifier such as a DNA identifier comprising a unique DNA code combined with an ultraviolet identifier spray. An example of such a personal alarm is described in GB 2,321,995. An example of a DNA identifier formulation is given in GB 2,439,960.
It is also known in the art to incorporate fluid dispensing alarm systems into building security systems at entry doors. U.S. Pat. No. 4,062,303, WO 00/73609 and WO 03/016663 disclose examples of such security systems where a dispensing device is mounted on a door frame and is mechanically actuated when the door is forced open in order to dispense a fluid into the doorway. U.S. Pat. No. 5,402,000 discloses a similar security system but with the dispensing unit disposed on a ceiling of a room in such a way that it is directed towards an entry door. The system described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,402,000 works in a similar manner as the previously described systems. When a door is forced open an actuation signal is transmitted to a spraying unit in order to actuate dispensing of a fluid. It is described that the actuation signal can be transmitted by mechanical, electrical, electronic, light, magnetic or gaseous means in working relationship with closure and entry ways.
It is an aim of the present invention to provide an improved security system for use in buildings having a plurality of entry points.